Going to the Temple... and we're gonna get married...

So... I'm engaged.

I have some aunts who are requesting the engagement story, so here it goes:

First, some background information.

Jeremiah and I met on the first day of classes back in September in Music Theory 3 class.

I thought he was pretty good looking, but I knew that he was already dating someone, so I kept it to myself.

He and I really didn't start talking too much until November when we were both in the pit orchestra for our school's production of "Hello Dolly."

When we first really got talking, we instantly clicked.

We teased and prodded at each other and we even had a friend suggest that we fought like a married couple.

Yet, J was still dating someone else and nothing happened.

In December, the weekend right before finals, I went to a study group for Music Theory.

J, Reva (a fabulous friend), and I study together for a few nights before the final.

During one of our conversations in-between studying, J and I were complaining about how there was no one to date. (He was out of his previous relationship at this point.)

Reva then said, "Why don't you two date?"

She then said that she and her husband, Cody, had been discussing it the night before and it was really all Cody's idea. (Thank you, Cody!!!)

Jeremiah replied saying, "Well, I just don't think Alison thinks of me that way..."

At this point, I was stunned.

So I quipped back, "How do you know I don't think about you that way?"

ANYWAY, J drove me back to my dorm that night and he and I had a good little discussion.

The rest of finals week he and I hung out everyday and we planned to go on a date sometime after Christmas Break.

During Christmas Break, J and I texted almost constantly and talked on the phone about 4 times.

(Bonus info: our first phone conversation lasted 5 hours!)

After Christmas Break was over, J and I went on our first date after the first day of classes.

A few weeks later, we became official.

J and I have a great relationship.

We started as friends and have become best friends.

He is the person that I can talk to for hours and never get bored.

I guess you could say, it's meant to be.


Now, here is the engagement story:

On the Monday before our engagement (we got engaged on Thursday, April 3rd), J and I went shopping because we were going to feed the missionaries the next night.

In the car on the ride home J asked if I wanted to go on a picnic on Thursday with his sister, Victoria.

I said yes and I pretty much knew at that point that he was going to propose.

On Thursday, he picked me up after I was done with Info. Lit. and we went to the Double Decker. (An awesomely beautiful pavilion area that overlooks BV.)

When we first arrived at the Double Decker we played around on the playground equipment and then we had lunch.

PB&J.

After lunch, we wandered up to the second story of the double decker so we could take some pictures.

The lighting turned out to not be so great, so we then headed down to the grassy area overlooking BV to take "pictures".

As we were taking pictures, J turned me towards him and got down on one knee.

He pulled out the ring and asked me to marry him.

I was so excited, I felt like I was going to cry.

I said yes and we kissed and hugged and Victoria took more pictures.

I'm so happy that Jeremiah asked me to marry him.

He is my best friend.

I couldn't see my life without him in it.

I love him.

He is my one.

Beautiful Sadness

Well, my friends, I'm a bad blogger. 

Yup.

I haven't posted in almost month and I'm sorry.

So, my life has been pretty interesting this past month, but I won't bore you with the details right now.

I have midterms this week and spring break next week, so I kind of need to go study.

Here is something that describes my mood right now:

I promise I'll post more at the end of this week. 

I just pray that I make it through midterms without having a totally mental breakdown.

Till next time...

#4: Tell of 5 places you want to visit:

Disney World

I've been to the magical kingdom of "Land" in California. This place is on my bucket list.

New Zealand

First off, beautiful place. Second off, those accents though. Mmmmm...yum. 

Plus, Hobbiton.

Paris, France

I've always loved all things French. Crepes, baguettes, berets, you name it. I feel like I might belong in that city.

New York City, New York

Broadway. Lady Liberty. Empire State Building. Need I say more?

Italy

I just want to see everything in this country. From the historic cities to the rolling hillsides. I feel it calling my name.

Late As Usual...

Well, I've been failing my resolution.

Here's what's been happening in my life these past two weeks:

I tried out for Shenanigans. (The improv comedy troupe on campus.)

I made it into Shenanigans. (We'll be having a show at the end of this month.)

The weather has been very bipolar. One day it's freezing cold and snowing and the next day it is beautiful with sun.

I guess Virginia weather is exactly like Professor Stone said, "If you don't like the weather in BV, wait 30 minutes and it will change."

I'm not doing very good on my resolution to take more pictures, but my Dad is here for the weekend and I'm definitely bringing my camera out.

School is good. My schedule is pretty light this semester, so it has been chill.

Anyway, next week is Valentines! Woo!

I know most people hate it because they think it should be called Singles Awareness Day.

But, for me, I think of Valentines as a time to show your love to everyone special in your life. (Not just your significant other.)

Plus, hearts and candy. Pink. Red. Lace. Doilies. Conversation Hearts.

Valentines is a beautiful time of the year.

Remember, even if you're single don't worry. Show your love to everyone in your life because that is what Valentines is really about.

Now, just for fun, here are some pictures that I didn't post last semester of my wild mane of hair.

 


#3: Post your favorite quote.

This is a really hard one because I have SO many favorite quotes. So, I'm going to post more than one.

Missed Opportunities

You know, I've been reflecting a lot about missed opportunities.

I feel like I've had more missed opportunities this past year than I've had in my whole life.

Most of the time they happen because I was just too "scared."

I was too "afraid" to put myself out there because I was "afraid" of getting hurt.

I feel like this applies to most of us though.

We go through life thinking "Hey, I've got it good. A great family, great friends, a place to live." And, we don't do anything to get out there and meet new people.

THEN, opportunities for new friendships or new relationships come about and instead of jumping in you stand back or runaway from this new happening.

I cannot tell you how many times I've done this.

Just because I was "afraid" I have missed out on meeting new people and making connections.

I keep thinking I wish I could change the past and dwelling on my missed opportunities.

But, I've learned a very valuable life lesson: Don't dwell on the past.

That is why it is called the past.

You have to live in the present and not regret things that did or did not happen in the past. If you do regret the past, then your life will be miserable.

Sometimes I dwell on the past too much and all it brings me is more heartache.

The things that happened in the past happened for a reason. You can't change anything, so just move ahead and never look back.

Anyway, new things in my life:

I have finished my first week of my 4th semester of college. It went well. Though to me, and every other student I asked, it felt like it went on forever. Oy!

I still need to be better about my photo taking resolution. I've also decided that I will also use my camcorder more. And, I will post videos.

Yesterday, Sunday, I got another calling in my ward. I now have 3 callings. Ward pianist, Relief Society pianist, and Relief Society teacher. Yay!

On Saturday I watched Ender's Game. Ugh! It has a twist at the ending that I didn't like so much, but it was a great movie.

I didn't have classes today!!! Happy MLK day!

So, I hope that at the end of this week I will have more to share. Especially pictures.



#2: Put your iPod on shuffle and tell the first 10 songs that play.

1. A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
2. Fever by Michael Buble
3. Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson
4. Just Dance by Lady GaGa
5. Say You Like Me by We The Kings
6. You Found Me by The Fray
7. A Little Opera Goes a Long Way by Sky Sailing
8. Red by Taylor Swift
9. Teenage Dream by Katy Perry
10. Collide by Howie Day

The Challenge

I'm almost done with my second day of classes.

Wow.

This semester just started and I can already tell that it is going to be great.

Well, my resolution to take more pictures has not been satisfied yet, so I think I may try to take my camera out today and maybe post some pictures tomorrow.

In the meantime, I decided that each time I post I will add something from a "blog challenge" that I saw on Pinterest.



Here's #1: Post a picture of yourself, and 10 facts about yourself.

Fact 1: I'm the second of six children.

Fact 2: I have troubles with being clumsy. Seriously. I have paper cuts on most of my fingers all the time and I have issues walking without tripping or falling on my face.

Fact 3: When I get frustrated or angry I either play the piano or I write. Whether it's a journal page or some poetry. Both playing the piano and writing help me get those nasty emotions out.

Fact 4: I have never had a boyfriend. Shocked? Yeah, me too.

Fact 5: I'm the only child in my family who has ever broken a bone. I broke my finger when I was 2 1/2 when my older sister decided to slam a heavy metal door on it. I broke my arm on my first skiing trip because I didn't let go of the ski lift when it was time to get off. I know, I know. It's really dumb. I didn't even break my arm because I did an awesome jump or something.


Fact 6: I love baking. Cakes, cookies, bread. You name it, I will do it. Yum.

Fact 7: I'm afraid of heights. Don't know where it came from, I just know that if I get anywhere close to the side of a cliff that I start freaking out and can't really be consoled. But, I do have to say that the fear has gotten better. I can now ride airplanes without any crying, even when there is some crazy turbulence.

Fact 8: I love old movies. My favorite actress is Doris Day. If you haven't seen Pillow Talk, then you better go watch that right now.

Fact 9: I love my family. All crazy 7 of them. They are the ones who make me laugh like no other.

Fact 10: Life is great. I actually really enjoy my life, even when the times get rough and I don't feel great I still love my life. I love the people that are in my life and make it better.

The Stranded Story

Well, here we are again. Jess and I are back in good old BV.

Now, some of you may have heard that we got stranded in Atlanta and that is true.

Here's the story:
Bright and early Friday morning Jess and I went to the Sea-Tac airport for our flight to Atlanta, which would then take us to Roanoke and then our beloved BV. Well, we had no trouble getting through security finding our plane and then boarding said plane.

We flew to Atlanta with no problem, though it was a little foggy when we arrived. Once in the Atlanta airport Jess and I headed to our connecting flight for Roanoke. On our way to the terminal we both received a text from our dad saying that our flight was delayed by 30 minutes. This seemed like a nice thing because we only had an hour to get to the connecting flight. So, instead of taking the train we walked to our flight.

Once we arrived at our gate we found that the Roanoke flight that was supposed to leave at noon that day had not left yet. The time that we arrived at our gate was approximately 2:30 PM, so the poor people on the other Roanoke flight had been delayed for more than two hours.

Well, we went to our gate and sat down for the "little wait" we were supposed to have till we would get on the plane. That "little wait" turned out to be 3 hours. Plus, during that "little wait" the other Roanoke flight was cancelled.

So, what happened was, the Roanoke airport had ZERO visibility and our pilot was waiting for either a go or no go from ground control at Roanoke. Well, we sat and prayed until finally they told us that it was a go. We got on the plane and started heading for Roanoke at approximately 5 PM.

Once on the plane, we relaxed and had quite a nice flight. Then, when we were coming close to landing the pilot came on the speaker.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to try and land in the Roanoke airport, but ground control says the visibility is very low. So, we will get down to about 600 feet and if the visibility is not good enough than we will fly back to Atlanta."

My heart sank.

Did he really just say that?

So, as we started to fly down, I was praying like no other.

We got down to the 600 feet and there wasn't enough visibility and we turned around and headed back for Atlanta.

It was the worst.

The plane re-arrived safely in Atlanta at 8 PM. Jess and I immediately pulled out our cell phones when we got into the airport and called our parents. Our dad, called the flight company and rebooked us on a flight… On Sunday.

Two days from when I wanted to get back to BV.

The next process of happenings occurred very quickly. Our dad found us a hotel room for the two nights and we went to find our luggage.

So, Saturday morning Jess and I got our luggage, but I only received one of my two bags. The other bag was already put on another flight and went to Roanoke. Ugh.

Plus, on Saturday morning the weather was awful! There were tornado warnings around very close to Atlanta. Fun.

Anyway, Jess and I had a fun experience of getting together with one of our elementary school teachers and her husband for dinner in Atlanta on Saturday. It was really nice to see her and we really loved getting to see the city.

On Sunday Jess and I checked out of our hotel and went back to the airport. At the Atlanta airport we saw Bill Cosby, which was pretty cool.

So, we got on our flight to Roanoke and landed safe and sound.

All I can say is, that was a very unexpected and uninvited adventure. But, I'm glad that Jess and I were able to get another flight and that we are safe home in BV.

Well, I Fell Off the Bandwagon...

Those of you who read this pathetic excuse for a blog, I'm sorry. I really did fall off the bandwagon.

See, I was going to be this wonderful college student who wrote a new post every week, but then I got through my first month of school and all dreams of that went down the drain.

My schedule was ridiculous. If you are currently a college student or will be in the near future take my advice, DO NOT TAKE 18 CREDITS! Seriously, killed me.

So, let me try to fill you in on the past 3 MONTHS.

In the month of October I didn't do much.
I went to some concerts and got a cool t-shirt.
I went to a few Halloween parties.
And, I questioned my choice of growing up.

In the month of November I did TOO much.
I was in the pit orchestra for our school's production of Hello Dolly. This went very well, besides my having to start wearing a wrist brace. (Playing a new instrument is tough.)
I also went on my first date of the semester! (Woo!) It was tons of fun!
And, I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.

In the month of December I questioned my very existence.
I went to the Winter Formal. At the formal there was a Dancing With the Stars thing that I was involved in. I got to choreograph and do a dance with a great guy.
I finished my Fall 2013 Semester classes.
And, I took my finals which I know I couldn't have done without all my study partners. (THANK YOU!!!)

All in all, it was a great semester.

Anyway, after all finals were done, I flew back home. Good old Washington.

I have had a wonderful Christmas break where I have gotten to see old friends and get together with some new ones.

In two days, I head back to Virginia where I will start my 4th semester of college.

Happy New Year everyone!

My resolution will be to keep this blog updated, so y'all aren't left in the dark. And, I resolve to take more pictures and post them.

P.S. I cut my hair. I will try to get a picture up before school starts.